The boy in the Barbie Pajamas
by Mika Uriah
Summary: What if it was Ashley that saved Henry and brought him into the sanctuary? Not Magnus - Contains child abuse, Kid!Ashley kid!Henry. - meant to be a one shot.


Disclaimer: I own nothing.  
A/N: contains mentions of child abuse. Nothing graphic, but…you know.  
A/N 2: not beta'd

000

Eight year old Ashley Magnus was sneaking a plate of food up the stairs to the residence area in the sanctuary, it was packed with a peanut and Jam sandwich cut in a star using her mom's cookie cutters, an apple, a few raw veggies that she liked eating and a pack of fruit snacks she was supposed to save for school and she would probably get into a lot of trouble but this was a mission. A mission of "upmost importance" she said out loud to her room while she was leaving, She was wearing overalls and had a cran-apple juice box in her pocket.

She had the plate balanced in her hands as she reached to open the door "hello? It's me!" she whispered out loud and a little face popped up from her play tent the she had in the corner of her lilac and mint green castle themed room "you like it in there huh?" she waved him over and he walked shyly holding one of the teddy bears in his pudgy hands and stood by the bed, ready to dive under it if anyone walked in "you like him? I had him for a really long time, like when I was really little. Since I was two! He used to protect me; I named him Henry because...I dunno why I used to like the name I guess. You like the name?" she trailed off at the little boy who was standing there by her bed holding onto the white lace comforter she played with a little bang of his hair "I can call you Henry if you want since I don't know your real name. Is that okay?"

He made a little sign with his hand and gave her a half smile, he was a little boy that she seen in Kindergarten sometimes, he often came to school hungry, dirty and with bruises on his body; Ashley chose a day where her mom would've been out of town and snuck him into her room and this is where he lived for the last two days. No one missed him.

Ashley watched his hands and tried to do the sign "does this mean yes?" she did the sign again "how come you talk with your hands? Can't you talk with your mouth?" Ashley never met a deaf kid before.

"No" he shook his head again "I didn't know I could talk here."

"Of course you can talk, why do you think you can't you talk here?" she paused "can't you talk at home?" He shook his head and Ashley gave him the plate of food "Do you get in trouble if you talk?"

"My mom likes to drink; it hurts her head when I make noise. This is good I never had it before, what is it?" he was referring to the peanut butter.

"It's Peanut…you never had peanut butter?" Her mom used to tell Ashley there was kids out there who sometimes didn't have it as lucky as Ashley had it and she should be thankful, but Ashley thought that some of these kids were in faraway places like Chicago. Not a little kid down the street or around the block from her "do you like it?"

He nodded and took a sip of the juice box "good. Thank you. My name is Alexander. But I like it when you call me Henry," he smiled up at her; the door opened slightly with a small knock, the boy went to go hide and accidentally knocked the plate of food on the pale grey-blue carpet and instead of hiding he started to cry "I'm sorry," he sobbed just as Helen Magnus poked her head in.

"I'm sorry Ashley I didn't know you had a friend over, I was just going to tell you I was home from New York. Hi, oh why are you crying?" she got down on her knees and brushed the tears off of his face but they kept crying.

"I made a mess!" he started to cry "please don't tell my mommy, it was an accident!" he rubbed at his eyes and Helen watched Ashley take his hand in confusion.

"He is not a friend mommy, he's living here now," her little cherub face was stern.

Helen looked down and saw the plate on the floor and looked around, the castle themed room was definitely lived in, as was the little play tent she had set up in the corner, she sighed "okay what did I miss while I was in New York for that days that Jamie and my dear old friend didn't think I was important enough to call me?" She picked up the children one at a time despite her daughter being eight and her feet reaching well past Helen's knees now sitting both of them on the edge of the bed and she wiped the boy's tears.

"He goes to my school mommy; he was hungry and he wasn't playing with anyone so I asked if he wanted a friend and if he wanted to play. I saw bruises mommy and he's staying here. We can protect him, I was feeding him and making sure he had a bath, but I can't find boys shoes, but he doesn't seem to mind my Barbie pajamas."

She watched the little boy in the bright pink Barbie pajamas, he was shaggy and needed a haircut and probably a trip to the dentist, it didn't look he ate for days...weeks maybe. How did no one at the school see this?

"I don't know if he can stay here Ashley, I can try, but he might have to go home."

Henry started to cry again and Ashley hugged him close and patted his hair like she was playing with one of her dolls "no one is going home. Mommy you said that we take in people who need protection all the time."

"Ashley…."

Ashley's hands were wrapped around Henry's shoulders "no one needs to feel protected more than a kid whose mommy doesn't love them."

At one point Henry crawled off the bed and into Helen's arms and snuggled into her rather closely and she sighed "I'll make some phone calls...okay?" she looked down at him and sighed "so mister what's your name hmm?" she poked his nose and he smiled slightly.

"Henry. I'm. Henry."


End file.
